Caroline O'Connor, who made her Broadway debut in Kander and Ebb's Chicago, will star in the new musical The Hatpin for the much-in-the-news Australian theatre company Kookaburra.

According to the company's official website, performances will begin Feb. 23, 2008, at the York Theatre at the Seymour Centre with an official opening Feb. 27. The limited engagement will play through March 15.

The Hatpin features music by Peter Rutherford with book and lyrics by James Millar. The musical, according to press notes, "is the true story of Amber Murray, a single mother who advertised her baby in a newspaper trading column in the hope of saving his life...and ended up embroiled in one of the most captivating, moving and exciting criminal trials in Australian history."

Caroline O'Connor made her Broadway debut in Nov. 2002 in Chicago playing merry murderess Velma Kelly, a role she also played in the Australian production, where she was awarded the MO Award and the Green Room Award for Best Actress in a Musical. O'Connor received an Olivier Award nomination for her performance as Mabel Normand in the West End production of Jerry Herman's Mack and Mabel, and her other theatrical credits include roles in West Side Story, Piaf and Bombshells. The actress-singer-dancer portrayed Nini Legs in acclaimed film "Moulin Rouge," and her solo recordings include "What I Did for Love," "A Tribute to Piaf" and "Stage to Screen."